Final Struggle
by sunomiya
Summary: Seika was of royal blood, yet she spent 16 years of her life exiled. She knew bliss and happiness until her mother died, causing her to face her origins once more in an attempt for revenge from those that had taken her beloved mother from her.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

God, please help us to tide through this time-  
Seika had never believed in divine intervention, but at many a times, praying seemed like the only thing a young helpless girl like her could do.  
She was a cheerful girl, but ever since her acceptance into the royal family, she was always in pensive thought. It bothered her.

"I will never forgive thou whom donned this accursed fate unto my mother!"  
Seika stood unfaltered in front of the royal throne, pointing her finger stifly at the enthroned queen, gritting out her vehement hatred at the two that was held in fear and respect by the pawns of the royalty. The ones clad in leather apparel and velvet cloaks, sitting high up in their golden chairs surveyed this aggressive girl with terrored eyes. The pale motionless lady that she laid in front her was indeed Mana.  
Mana Hevenstealth. The third concubine to the King Winston, exiled on account of adultery and wizardry, laid lifelessly on the red carpets. Her breathe was naught.

Moments ago, she was brought in by a young girl in her arms and laid before the King. The young girl seemed to have a request, and a seemingly important, for her to barge into the royal courts, demanding an audience before the King. The court grew restless as they recognized the kind concubine that lived amongst them sixteen years ago. They did not forget her gentleness and elegance, nor the shock they had when they heard of her betrayal. "Who is thou to bring the traitor back into this holy court? This is no playground for children, you might very well be executed for this daring act." The king spoke harshly, though with a trace of kindness and sympathy, for the sight of his beloved concubine filled him with guilt.  
The young girl had realized her own position and knew if she wanted to get her way, she had play along.  
"Please return my dear mother back to the royal tombs. I am young and incapable, and I wish that my mother be rested in a proper place, where she had longed to be ever since she was exiled. Her heart was always with the palace, and with your Majesty. Though she was wrongly accused of being a defiler of this place, please, your Majesty, for the love that you and my mother shared, let her return to the royal and rest in eternal slumber with her sister, the previous Queen."  
"...Your mother? Mana is your mother?"  
"Yes. When she was exiled, she was pregnant with me."  
"..." The King was hesitant. He knew that this would mean that the girl that stood bravely in front of him was his daughter. But-  
"So that's the bastard that she had...you impure being! How audacious of you to demand from us to accept this defiler!" The Queen, on sensing the King's hesitancy, reacted to this situation. "Lindie!"  
The young girl's eyes grew cold and angry.  
"I will never forgive thou whom donned this accursed fate unto my mother!" She spat out, hissing. "And if you dare to deny my existence, my right to this royal family, then you shall swear on this royal blood flows through me that you are not involved in the exiling of my beloved mom!"  
With that, the young girl drew out the worn sword that she was carrying sheathed on her waist and used it to slit her arm. Fresh blood flowed out of the deep cut and she grimaced in pain, though the determination in her eyes never waivered. The Queen was a lost for words, and so was everyone else. "Enough! Foolish girl! It will not sway the King and Queen to accept back the lady Mana and you daring stand to the truth will only appear as insolence to you do not wish to see yourself and your royal mother to be defiled, leave this place at once!"  
Someone spoke.  
It was the wise royal advisor. He was using his words of wisdom that was laiden with hidden meanings, that conveyed to the king, that there was much truth to the young's girl's words. He himself believed in the purity of the concubine Mana, and was able to see how the vieing for the adoration of the king had resulted in someone who had never desired to be Queen to lay quiescently on the trampled floors. The King was swayed. Had he really been blind to his own feelings and intuition? This determined girl was his daughter, whether or not Mana had betrayed him, he had loved her dearly, and never once wanted to believe that such a gentle lady would harness any darkness in her heart. If he had indeed wronged them both, then he had to make up for it.

"Silence!"  
"...Return Lady Mana Hevenstealth to the Royal Tomb at once."  
To the Queen's disbelief, men came in and carefully carried the dead Lady away.  
The King moved from his royal throne above, and approached the young girl.  
"...My daughter."  
The young girl refused to call him father. She hated him...she might have loved him and had a weak spot, but hatred was the first thing that came to her mind."  
"What is your name?"  
"Seika. Seika Rion, after my mother's maiden name."  
"My daughter...Seika." The King was close to tears, as memories of the days Winston had spent with Mana, came flooding back.  
"Someone, attend to Princess Seika right now!" The King announced, hinting at Seika's bleeding arm.  
That was how Seika, a young girl living in the wilderness with her frail mother, returned to the royal palace.

Seika could still vividly remember that day. It was the day where she had dramatically changed her way of living---so as to say superficially. She was still herself, untainted by the royal customs and practices. Her purpose was unchanged, her mind was set.  
That was to make Queen Lindie pay for what pain she caused to Seika's dearest kin in the world.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Was her free? Or was she bound eternally to this cage?  
Her mind flew over the bounds of human tranditions and customs, yet it was to be chained forever to hatred and pain that ragged her body, her soul. Seeing the beautifully garnered palace, the jewel studded plates she ate from, the silk robes that adnorned her...it was sickening. It made her cringe inside, yet silence was the only facade she could don.  
Mother--- you have loved this place, have you not? How am I supposed to regard it then?  
Revenge, easier vowed than done. Rage, easier felt than controlled. What are my limits then?

"Seika, these are your royal brothers and sisters."  
They looked at her with disbelief, perhaps more distaste than shock. Was I perhaps a threat to their positions? Seika bowed meekly, as though innocently. She didn't smile though.  
No one accepted this foreign girl then, and they didn't. Seika would be forced to participate in their daily activities, as though there were no problems between her and her kins. Silent, and distant she would remain, from the laughters and whispers of her three siblings.  
Faith Hevenstealth---the oldest son.  
Viestar Hevenstealth---the next in line.  
Melanie Hevensteath---that person's daughter. Seika almost didn't want to impose her own hate of her mother onto herself.  
Seika wasn't jealous, or the least bit wishing to be part of their circle. She was oblivious of them, and she knew that she was not alone. There were people she met where she was struggling to live in the 16 years of her life. Just memories of time with them, and the slight possiblity of being able to meet them one day, kept her rather content.

After getting more familiar to the castle grounds, Seika decided to wander out at night to the training grounds to practice her swordsmanship---whether to prepare for emergencies, or simply to fill a part of her empty heart. As she walked in the dark of the night, she arrived at the dimly lit training grounds. The night wind blew, but it did seem colder than what her heart had felt the day her mom left. Surprisingly, she was not there alone. It seemed that the First Prince was already there, practicing with his own sword. As he swung to the side to an imaginary foe, Seika drew hers and their swords clanged in the silent night.

"!"  
"Swinging through such open airs with large surface of your sword makes the slashing action slow and less impactful. If you even slightly tilt your sword in the wrong angle, the increased air resistance would be a significant hinder to whether you can successfully slice your foe in half."  
"Seika..."  
Seika tilted her head a bit as she seat down on the training grounds. It surprised for it was the first time anyone in the royal family had called her by that name. Furthermore, this was the person that had seemingly excluded her from his own circle just a few days ago.  
"I'm really sorry."  
An apology? That's so shocking that it was almost amusing to Seika. Are you feeling sorry for not including me in your little world? Are you siding with Melanie?  
"Don't make me hate you, brother."  
"No...it was because Lady Mana was really kind to me. And you...had to bear through all that---"  
"It was worth it, Brother Faith. Seeing the world like that, meeting all those people, maybe even getting through the toughest times...those are things that I might never have experienced in the castle."  
Faith for a while looked envious, but returned to his facade of aloofness. Was it weird for him to talk to Seika like this?  
Seika picked herself up from the ground and started swing her blade. The blade cut through the wind and made a swishing sound, so clear and distinct, and proud---that's the aura that Seika gave off. Agily she flew into a wild swordsdance that seemed to be irregular, but as Faith watched her she seemed to fall into an elegant pattern. Her eyes betrayed no sense of distractions, and she didn't care the fact that Faith was there. It was beautiful. Faith had never seen anything like that before. Was this like the outside world that he never knew, so wild and furious, yet beautiful and charming at the same time?  
Remembering what Seika had told himself just now, Faith, in shyness, started changing the way he held his sword and the direction that he sliced it down. Maybe this was also a turning point in his life? Faith started anticipating.

Seika felt difference in Faith from the others. He was different, there seemed to be something that was burning in him that was absent in the rest. Was it a desire? A dream? A passion? Seika saw no matter how shackled Faith seemed to be, this flame seemed to be persisting. She did not know, that herself was adding on to the fuels of this flicker.

Night practices with Faith soon became regular for Seika. Somehow, she was in fact anticipating it everyday. It was probably, the highlight of her mundane days. Faith had no problem accepting this mysterious yet charismatic girl once he had thrown off his guilt of not being able to defend her from the discriminations of the royal family. "The four guardians---?"  
"Yeah, they are said to control elements of this world, and they possess huge amounts of magical powers that can defend the light from the dark."  
"It seems like any legend to me---what's with the grapple of light and dark anyways? Who's the judge for who's good and evil?"  
"Right? I don't know about light and dark, but for as for myself, just working and training hard would be living my life. Magical powers? Sounds dreamy---"  
"Ne, Brother Faith, what keeps your dreams alive?"  
"...I don't know."  
That's a good answer. Who can explain an innate desire to live and be free. "Inner Wilderness", that which makes us human. Seika smiled.  
Seika wanted to suggest something, but suddenly, the dimly lit grounds that Faith and her were relaxing after their training on, was suddenly lit by bundles of light, from torches of fire. The King, followed by the Queen, Melanie and Viestar appeared in front of the two of them. Is it one of those foolish rules of the palace again?  
"Faith! Seika! Into the hall!"

-  
"Seika! What are you doing this late at night, in that outfit, armed with a sword? Shouldn't a lady be resting at her own quarters now?"  
"I was simply training myself, to not let my senses grow dull and such that at an impeccable time, I'll be able to send this sword through the Queen's royal to satisfy my heart's revenge---" Seika spoke in a bloodthirsty manner, grinning righteously at the dumbfounded crowd in front of her. Faith was indifferent---he knew exactly how much Seika hated the Queen and how deadly serious she was about every comment that she made about that woman. Perhaps his own disguist of that woman, pushed him closer to Seika. After all, that woman was the one that wanted to use himself as a puppet for her to gain power. "You---!"  
"I what?" Seika challenged the Queen.  
"Seika, your language was uncalled for, and neither were your actions. Melanie reported to me worriedly that you were secretly staying up so that you could brawl swords on the grounds with the soldiers and Faith. Faith trains at night because he feels a sense of duty to as the first Prince, that he should grow stronger, but you---? You are a lady, a princess now, just like your mother used to be! Watch your behaviour." The King criticized.  
"Were those your own words, "father"?" Seika spoke in a cold sarcastic tone.  
The king hesitated. Indeed, Melanie had told him about Faith's intentions and the Queen had implored him to do something about Seika's uncouth behaviour.  
"...Yes. And it is in my own wish, that you give up your swordsmanship, and never wield a sword again."  
Seika laughed.  
"I could leave this palace if i wished...but why would I want to give up a chance to torture her with my presence for even a single second? The reason why you are doing this is out of fear, you cowardly Queen. Rest assure, "father", I will stop using and practicing my sword, but even so with my bare hands, one day I'll rip out that woman heart. After all, I am Mother's child. I am a princess just like my dead Mother used to be."  
Seika took the sword in her hand, and flung it hard into the ground. The sword pierced the ground in front of the Queen, making her heart to almost stop for a beat, as her face grew pale. Seika screamed on top of voice: "FIAT JUSTITIA, RUAT CAELUM!"  
Tears strung down her cheeks.  
"That's the sword that a very important person gave to me. Taint it with your dirty hands, and I swear I will not hesitate once, to pull out every single strand of your hair and feed your body to the falcons." Seika left, indignified. Take away my sword? Strip me of all power to rebel against you? Very nice, Queen. But this is your loss.

"Your Majesty! Would you not see the attitude of that girl! She's a savage! Is that manner of being your daughter?" The Queen screamed hysterically.  
"Giver her time. Her dear mother just left her all alone in this world." To this comment, a snigger was heard.  
It was Faith. Maybe he was really sick it too. Faith drew out the sword that Seika had stuck into the castle floor and sheathed it onto his waist. He bowed, and proceeded back to his quarters.

A knock was heard on Faith's roomdoor. Wearily, he dragged his feet to answer and the sight of Seika knocking at the door shocked him.  
"Seika---"  
"Ah, Brother Faith, I---"  
"Faith would be enough." Faith smiled weakly at Seika, her eyes were obviously red.  
"You're my brother after all. I'm thankful for that. Rather that, I just wanted to say...I'm sorry."  
Sorry?  
"But you didn't implicate me..."  
"I...I have taken away the time that we could spend together as siblings alone because of my desire to anger the Queen. It's as if I'm being engulfed by my desire for hate, that I have started to lose sight of other things that are important to me."

"That is all that I wanted to say."  
Seika turned to leave.  
"Will you come again?"

-  
"Surely."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The forest emitted a mysterious aura, and the trees swayed to breeze, making a hustling sound. This made the day seem rejuvenated and fresh. The hunting grounds seemed broad and free, and the grass parted in the wind, as 5 stallions stood proudly under the blazing sun. It was hunting day, a day where the King would take his children out to hunt in a day of relaxation and enjoyment. As the sun slowly crawled up, everyone grew excited, and even Seika smiled as she chatted happily with Faith about this day.  
"Seika, any experience in hunting?"  
"Are you kidding me? I had to hunt to live!"  
"Ah!...Ah..."  
King Winston overheard and said happily,"I see. I see! Then we shall see if Seika's skills can rival that of the undefeated General!"  
"...the general?"  
"Yeah, he and the sub-commander are invited yearly to join in this competiton, but he's a really good archer, or rather, very well-rounded, that each year he ends up taking the hardest prey and the most bounty."  
"...Heh...Sounds like a challenge!"  
Just as Seika spoke, two stallions came into view as two generals clad in armour approached the royalties. Due to the immense sunlight bouncing off their armours, Seika could not seem to make out how they looked up, but it appears as if the general was indeed one of valor with a fit built. Seika can't help but feel a sense of nostalgia as this outline reminded her of him. After 4 years, surely he would have grown up into such a fit and strong youngman too right? Building his own sky somewhere-  
The two generals got off their horses and bent down to salute the king. It was only now that Seika was able to see their faces properly.  
"!!!" Seika's pupil narrowed. A familiar face came into view. The youngman was very handsome, with dark black hair, curling slightly at the bottom, and as he lifted his head a pair of deep green eyes came into view. His deep green pupils widened as the sight of the young girl's face came slightly into view behind the King.  
"Ri...!" Realising his positions, the youngman immediate his exclaimation.  
"General Kusanoma! Great to see you again! This is my long lost daughter, Princess Seika Hevenstealth. She's quite an accomplished hunter herself!"  
Seika bowed slightly to the man called Chaos Kusanoma in front of her. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and contempt started brewing in her heart. Somehow, the sight of this youngman, which should have made her rather happy, seemed to have made her feel irritated.  
As everyone mounted onto their horses, they departed into the silent woods in the hunting grounds.

Everyone was alertly looking around them and keeping their breaths low in order to prevent scaring away their prey. However, Chaos seemed to be more focused on Seika's presence, and threw at her direction frequent glances, not paying attention to the preys lurking at all.  
"Kusanoma, what are you thinking about?"  
Suddenly, the woman next to him, the second general in line, spoke in a corcerned.  
"Ah, Sylph. It's nothing..."  
Whoosh. The sound of an arrow zipped through the air and within seconds, something seemed to have fallen out of a tree. It was a pigeon. Seika pulled on the string of the bow to retain its elasticity and readied another arrow. "Seika, no wonder you have been able to survive so long in the wild! None of us saw that fowl perched there!" The King exclaimed excitedly.  
Seika had learned to see with her heart and be one with the surroundings. Slight movement would indicate to her the prey's presence. Suddenly, a deer zipped past the hunting group. Immediately, Chaos fitted an arrow to his bow and withdrew the string, releasing a shot swiftly. Seika hesitated a while, and grinning, released hers. Just as Chao's arrow was about to land a direct hit on the deer's abdomen, Seika's arrow pierced at Chao's arrow, deflecting it away. Another shot was heard, as Seika immediately released a second arrow, thrusting into the poor foe's stomach, killing instantly. Everyone was impressed.

"General! How was that? That's daughter's strength!" Winston grinned proudly.  
Chaos bent down his head and spoke, "Indeed, the Princess' skills are highly commendable, and surpasses even that of mine."  
You'd bend your head to that man now?! Have you thrown after all that we've vowed through together?! Raging thoughts surged Seika as Chaos seemed to respond demurely to the King. As the day continued, the hunting group ventured more and around. Just as the King was about to shoot down his prey, Seika plucked out an arrow and shot it at the King. The arrowed zipped through the air and was heading straight for the King's head. Everyone behind gasped.  
"Father!" Viestar and Melanie screamed out in unison, while Faith widened his eyes and blurted out, "Seika..." He knew that Seika did not hate the King and had no desire to kill him at all. Then...what is causing her to act her this way?  
Before the arrow could reach the King, bolts of lightning and fire surged out and incinerated the arrow instantly. The king withdrew a few paces and was clearly shaken!  
"Seika-hime! What are you doing?" Chaos roared out, but was clearly shaken when he saw tears streaming down Seika's face.  
"Chaos..."  
Everyone was shocked that Seika knew the general's name. Sylph Staevir looked in disbelief at Chaos Kusanoma, the man that she thought she had all to herself the day they entered the palace together.  
"So even you...have turned against the road that I'm threading on..."  
"Rion...I..."  
"Even though I thought you would be the last person to do so, even though-  
That's enough, you're now a dog to this palace, what more of your own can you have?"  
Whispering to herself, Seika sped off into the clearings, tears still flowing down her rosy cheeks.  
"Rion! Wait------!" Chaos chased after her on her horse, leaving everyone stunned. Soon, the two arrived at the clearing.

"Rion..."

"...I didn't think that we would meet this way."  
"...So if we didn't meet, you would still continue being the dog of this palace, wouldn't you? You would still have betrayed our promise, that is the truth that cannot be denied."  
"I have my own reasons."  
"Ha, so you've changed after all. The Chaos i used to know didn't believe in reasoning. Whatever he did he did it his way, he didn't care what was in the way, he just bashed through. Scram, you're not the person that I---"

"Ah...sorry. That was 4 years ago...I must be the only fool to think that you wouldn't have changed, that you might actually have had...perhaps the slightest bit of feeling for me. Listen, I have a goal that I must achieve and that is to destroy the ones that have taken away the precious lives of people who still deserved to live in this world that they loved. If you stand in my way, I will destroy you too. Guardian of Lightning, Chaos Kusanoma."  
"Why are you so filled with hate right now, Rion! Your tone...why..."  
"It's not because I hate you, it's only because I love you so much, that I had to force myself to say this. Masochism? That's what the broken-hearted do right?"  
Faced with this confession, Chaos' heart sped up and emotions welled up in him. He loved her dearly too, every since 6 years ago he, the two years that they spent together, training,playing, adventuring...the point where he decided to leave was only made better by the strict promise for the two to reunite, and everyday the possibility of meeting her again, was the only thing that kept him going for 4 years.  
Seika mounted readily onto her steed, and galloped back to the palace.

That night, Faith seat down alone at the cool training ground floor. Seika had not appeared yet that night, and somehow, Faith felt lonely. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps were heard resounding through the silent coolness of the night. Faith lifted his head in hope. It was Seika!  
"Seika----"  
"Brother Faith, you're still here waiting---" Seika's face seemed to be worn with tire, and she smiled weakly, looking gratefully at Faith whose tense face had turned into a light smile too. Faith's presence seemed to make Seika feel that this day wasn't so bad after all.  
Seika took a seat beside Faith and the two sat down in awkward silence for a while.  
"Don't you want to ask me about today?" Seika finally broke the silence. Faith looked at Seika from the corner of his eyes, and laughed a bit.  
"Yeah, where did you get that brutal strength and determination of yours?"  
"Fai---!"  
"I thought for a while, if I even had half of that power, I probably wouldn't be where I am today. From today on, please continue to guide me through. Show me the way with your own beliefs." As he spoke, Faith stared confidently into Seika's eyes.  
Faith is telling me not to change who I am, and that it does not surprise him the way I show who I am, and that my ferociousness, hatred and anger...he doesn't loathe them. Do I deserve even that? I really need to rethink where I am now, what I am doing.  
"Chaos is a really good friend from a long time ago...he was really ambitious back then and being the guardian of lightning he would always go around challenging people to prove that he was the best. We lived together for two years and he helped me to take care of my sick mother. Then, I decided to let him go-- to let him continue on his life's journey of being the best and strongest."  
Seika's heart was colonized by someone already, and even if Faith didn't realize it, it hurt him a little. Afterall, Seika would be living here, around him, and meeting him inevitably would hurt her, every single time.


End file.
